Skateboarding rules move on despite police concern

Wyatt Gibbs, 13, of Laguna Beach, skates down Oak Street in Laguna Beach. Downhill skateboarders say specially designed wheels and boards allow greater manueverability, but some drivers say they hazard they pose by skating in roadways is too great. TEXT BY CLADUIA KOERNER, PHOTO BY STEPHANIE YU, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jake Fast, front, and Roger Jones ride their skateboards down a hill in Laguna Beach. Parking, Traffic and Circulation committee members agreed that banning downhill skateboarding in certain areas was not necessary if skaters followed traffic regulations like speed limits. TEXT BY CLAUDIA KOERNER, PHOTO BY PAUL BERSEBACH, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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California Veicle Code defines skateboarders as pedestrians, but some a city committee thinks giving them a status similar to bicyclists would protect skaters and drivers. TEXT BY CLAUDIA KOERNER, PHOTO BY PAUL BERSEBACH, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Laguna Beach Police Chief Paul Workman also cautioned against using vehicle speed limits for skateboarders. The vehicle speed limits are based on research involving car technology and driver reaction time - variables that would not apply to skaters. TEXT BY CLAUDIA KOERNER, PHOTO BY PAUL BERSEBACH, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Wyatt Gibbs, 13, of Laguna Beach, skates down Oak Street in Laguna Beach. Downhill skateboarders say specially designed wheels and boards allow greater manueverability, but some drivers say they hazard they pose by skating in roadways is too great. TEXT BY CLADUIA KOERNER, PHOTO BY STEPHANIE YU, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

LAGUNA BEACH – With police responding to hundreds of calls a year from residents about skateboarders, Police Chief Paul Workman told a city committee proposed skateboarding regulations needed more analysis to be effective and avoid legal problems.

The Parking, Traffic and Circulation Committee voted to move the issue forward to the City Council, though, citing concerns about delaying the regulations longer and confidence the city's process would vet any problems.

The committee met Thursday night to hear a report from Workman after the committee previously showed its approval for a list of regulations that would require skateboarders to follow many of the traffic laws applied to bicyclists as well as prohibiting nuisance behavior. Workman urged taking more time on the issue, describing a legal conflict with the California Vehicle Code, which defines skateboarders as pedestrians.

Workman reported 436 police calls for service involving skateboarders since Jan. 1, 2008 and 15 skateboard-involved collisions or injuries. He also suggested special consideration be given to regulating skateboarding on hillside streets based on steepness, road width, number of driveways and other factors. Applying vehicle speed limits to skateboarders may also be unsafe he said, and the committee should discuss a blanket skateboarding speed limit.

"There's some concern of handing this off to the council prematurely," Workman said.

Since the debate began last summer, the committee has held two widely attended public meetings about skateboarding rules.

Resident Alan Bernstein, speaking for his hillside neighborhood, initially suggested banning downhill skateboarding, an off-shoot of the sport gaining popularity. Local downhill skateboarders and their parents, in return, came together to educate the community about skating safety, asking to share the road with drivers. A group of committee members studied the issue, taking comments from skateboarders and homeowners into account. Committee chair Curt Bartsch said the group had done their due diligence, and now the matter should be addressed by the City Council, which will decide whether the draft should become law.

"I'm very concerned that we're trying to open the can again," Bartsch said.

Committee member Rob Patterson said the issue required urgency to protect the safety of skateboarders and drivers. Starting over would be unwise, he said.

"To me, it boils down fundamentally that we need clarity in the rules for both sides," he said.

Before going to the City Council, the director of public works and the city manager must sign off on the agenda bill, which would include the draft ordinance and materials like police and city attorney comments. Committee member Vic Opincar said there was no point to sending a draft with legal holes in it, and he provided the single vote for the committee to take more time refining the proposed regulations.

"Whatever you propose, if it's not sound, it will not go to the council," he said.

He added the information on high number of calls for service about skateboarding was surprising.

"This is kind of an eye opener," he said. "I wish we'd had it sooner."

The draft ordinance along with police comments will likely go before the City Council for review in January. Committee member Neil Katz reminded colleagues and attendees the great steps that had been accomplished toward consensus on what had originally been a heated debate.

"In my history in this town, I haven't seen that on any issues ever," he said.

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